[ts]I chose the Micro Surf & Turf. And it was micro indeed! There was a piece of steak slightly larger than the scallop. It was a steak-scallop tower, presentation-wise. Kinda cute. Anyway, this dish was well-executed. Steak was tender, not tough. Ditto for the scallop. I'm not really a fan of that cooked cherry taste, but good thing the cherry glaze did not overpower the beef & scallop in any way. 8/10

[cw]I generally like scallops and steaks, so of course, I enjoyed this dish. My only complaint was that it was true to its name, MICRO! I only got 1 scallop placed on a cube of steak. The cherry sauce wasn't bad, but I'd rather have another scallop or two in its place. 8/10

[ts]Char for me. All in all, this was pretty good too. The Red Thai Curry Butter tasted like the usual "thai" curry that abounds. Too bad there weren't that many pieces of pineapple in the salad. Cilantro, of course, is GOOD! ( =P ) Actually, there were only maybe 3-5 leaves of cilantro in the salad; mostly there was slightly wilted pea shoots (very young pea shoots, younger than the usual dou miao). Oh, by wilted, I mean on purpose. Those were *very* good. The risotto cake: the exterior was breaded and was crisp enough, but the interior was a bit mushy in texture. I'm not sure I could distinguish actual grains of rice. But it was OK. The arctic char was nicely grilled. Perfect criss-cross grill marks. =) It was also very nicely seasoned (every bite had flavor) and not "fishy." Very well-executed. 8.5/10 (or 9, if not for the mushy risotto cake)

[cw]I had the chicken. When the server put my plate on the table, I immediately thought of shake 'n bake. So guess what, on my first bite of the chicken skin, it DID taste like shake 'n bake. The chicken breast itself was cooked just right, and most importantly, it wasn't dry. The risotto was really good, and was a good pairing with the chicken breast. I really enjoyed the dish. The sauce was just enough to flavour the chicken and wasn't very overpowering. 8.5/10

[ts]Torte. Very dense, very hazelnutty. Good as well. I tasted the cheesecake and it was also good. Perhaps I was more in a cheesecake mood; I haven't had cheesecake in a while, and I could've used the slight tang in my dessert. 8/10

[cw]The dessert was really good until I noticed some fingerprints on the chocolate. A bit on the sweet side, but still good. 8/10

[cw]SUMMARY:Really enjoyed the restaurant and its food. We had a window table, and from my seat, I had a great view of False Creek, the sailboats, and Burrard Bridge. This would be a fine choice for special occasions, as entrees on their regular menu start at $35 or something!

Friday, February 10, 2006

[ts]As they advertised the bread to be house-baked and such, I had high expectations. But, it wasn't warm, and it was too dense for focaccia. As far as foccacias go, the one at Bridges was REALLY good. (And the ones from Calabria Bakery too -- ie, the ones we get.) Yeah, disappointing, this. Also, the hummus was very bland. 5/10

APPETIZERWarm Goat Cheese Salad; baby greens, olive vinaigrette $9.00

[cw]Lo and behold, I ordered a salad! I figured baby greens will be green leafy vegetables I was familiar with. My first thoughts when the plate arrived.... "WOOO! The cheese is pungent!" and that not in a good sense. Nor did I expect my salad to look the way it did. The goat cheese looked more like thin piece of fried egg white. Anyhow, I mixed it up with the greens and ate it up, except for the purple leaves and the olive bits. I accidentally consumed an olive bit and that threw me off for a bit because I didn't enjoy, nor expected it. I was tricked into eating it, because it was hidden in the purple leaves whatever they were! 7/10

Crispy Deep Fried Whole Calamari w/ spicy tomato caper sauce $9.00

[ts]I was expecting this to be "crunchier", but it wasn't. Basically, instead of the battered exterior like in Greek calamari, this just some seasoned coating on it. The seasoning was quite nice, though. It had a kick to it too -- although I'm not sure if the squid itself had some heat, or if it was because of the "spicy tomato caper sauce." The squid's doneness: it was all right. I wasn't sure if I could detect a slight rubbery texture or not. But, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. All in all, not bad at all. And I liked the kick of it. 7.5/10

[cw]I ordered this for the mushrooms, and didn't realize I'd be consuming even more goat cheese. Ah well, it was a thin crust pizza with a very crunchy crust. I've never had such a crunch pizza crust ever. It was like eating fried wonton wrapping or something like that but with a thicker texture!

However, the pizza itself wasn't bad. I liked the mushrooms, but the pizza itself reminded me of the pizzas from Earl's. Upon returning home, that's when I realized how thirsty I was... even though I had a couple glasses of iced water at the restaurant. 7.5/10

[ts]Mashed potatoes were TOO SALTY!! I managed to eat some of it, because the overseasoning of it was tolerable when eaten together with the beef. Steak: I haven't had steak in a long time, as previously mentioned. So this hit the spot in that sense. It was OK as well. Tasted like beef. =) But yeah, it was cooked to the doneness I asked for; not unnecessarily tough/well-done. The asparagus: there were only 3 stalks!!! =( Also, as the picture shows [picture no longer available], they were thin (overly peeled) and limpy. However, when tasted, they were actually quite good: firmness-wise, they weren't actually as "limp" as they looked. Also, they had a nice grilled aroma and flavor.

4/10 (coz c'mon, they really shouldn't be messing up ANY component in this dish)

DESSERTFlourless Chocolate Truffle Cake $6.00

[ts]It was served with some pitiful-looking banana slices (not sure if they were caramelized), some whipped cream flavored with some liquor (eck), and caramel sauce. I scraped off the whipped cream, but no points off for that, coz I just don't like liquor-y stiff in general (w/ the alcohol not being cooked out). The cake wasn't bad; it was "OK." I mean, no real comments about it. 4/10

[cw did not order dessert.]

__________________AMBIENCE

[cw]I didn't like the table very much because half of my view was of the wall and the other half was of Robson street. The restaurant itself wasn't very special, just dark and Mediterranean looking. 5/10

[ts]In theory, the space should actually be quite nice, but I don't get that feeling at all. And I can't really pinpoint what is wrong with the space. I think that perhaps it's the "bad luck vibe" it's giving out. To explain, this space was formerly Settebello. cawong & I actually went to dine-out at Settebello last year -- and the results were disappointing. In this instance, there was a whiff of the same sort of "disappointment" or even "loser" essence in the air. I think the next owner of this place (hmm, am I saying that there will probably be a new place to replace this one? Maybe.) should RENOVATE and just change the appearance of the space.

Also, the restaurant was actually quite large and spacious, and more or less had high ceilings too. But for some reason, they chose to pack the table really tightly! There were only a few tables what were occupied, but our table was so cramped! Why not just add more breathing room around each table?

5/10________________SERVICE

[cw]The guy came by a couple times when we didn't need him, and wasn't around when we actually needed him. So, in conclusion, he didn't really do much beyond expectations. 6.5/10

[ts]No real comments. OK, I guess. Although, the space being large, the waiters were congregated on the farther end of the restaurant (to give diners some space, I guess), and therefore, unless they were looking specifically in our direction, they would have no way to know if we wanted some service from them. But, I was never wanting for water! Woohoo. 6/10

____________________TOTAL EXPERIENCE

[cw]I'm not sure if the $35 dine-out menu would have been worth it. I'm glad I opted out and was dessert-free. The other restaurants offered more value for the $$. 6.5/10

[ts]Yeah, there's something off about the restaurant that I can't put a finger on. Somehow it kind of dampens the mood. But maybe that's just me. 3/10

__________________Would you recommend this restaurant?[cw] Not really.[ts] No.

Would you return to this restaurant?[cw] Probably not.[ts] No. There are LOTS and LOTS of other restaurants in Vancouver!__________________

[ts]Oh, attached are the three pictures taken w my cell phone. cawong told me I should take pictures, as per Jojo's numerous reminders. Since we had no camera, the cell phone had to do. As you can see, these are THE MOST PITIFUL AND SORRIEST PICTURES **EVER**!!!! They look like those hidden camera pictures -- which make it seem like we're trying to capture a picture of something "bad" or "illegal" or something. Enjoy! haha.

GRILLED NAANGood for them for trying to do something a little different w the usual bread. The naan was all right, although it tasted a bit too flour-y. Also, perhaps because of the "flour-y" taste, they tasted a bit "bland" (pakla), and needed some salt. But then, the salt wouldn't really stick to the naan because there was no moisture on them. A plus, though: warm!!! 6.5/10

They spelled "manila" wrong. Anyway, I assumed that the items would remain the same as the menu posted online (which is what I'm copying & pasting for each food item), but they weren't! In reality, I believe it was something like this:

Presentation: The 2 pieces of dumplings were fried first, and then put into the broth. The broth/dumplings was in a separate small bowl, but on the same rectangular plate as the rest of the items. The tuna was grilled on the outside only (ie, rare), and rested on the "radish?" salad.

The dumplings were not bad, I guess. But I'm not really a dumpling person. The broth wasn't bad either. It was "earthy" tasting, actually, instead of seafood-tasting. So perhaps there was no bonito flakes in their version of dashi? Or maybe it was something else completely that they just called dashi. In any case, it wasn't objectionable or anything. Am not too big a fan of such "earthy" flavors, though.

The tuna was quite nice. I mean, it's tuna. I know it's the fashion to have it rare, but I would've preferred it to be cooked a little more because 1) the texture would've been firmer, as opposed to mushy, and 2) the tuna taste/flavor would've been stronger as well. I could really taste the nice tuna flavor on the outside grilled surfaces.

The "radish" salad: Basically there was a white one and red one; each "radish" was cut into thin strips (like angel hair pasta in appearance). They didn't really have that much flavor at all, but served as temperature and texture contrast (since they provided a little crunch). Also, I must reiterate, I don't know what they were! They didn't have a radish flavor at all, but radish seems to be the most likely candidate.

All in all, this was a pleasant enough dish. Although it may seem like I have a lot of "issues" with the dish from the comments above, I don't really have any complaints. I guess I'm not sure of all the elements go together well (ie, dumplings and broth accompanying the tuna). But then, when I eat, I usually take separate elements and combine them anyway. So it wasn't "weird" for me in this instance.

Hmm, I think in this case the above was what actually came to the table. My comment: I should've gotten the beef instead!! I was trying to remember when the last time I had beef was. But then I thought, beef is common enough, so I should opt for duck, which one doesn't really find in normal places (ie, "casual" dining, or to buy and cook at home). Mistake.

Duck Breast: There were 3 small slices of duck breast. I asked for medium rare, but those 3 pieces were not. I think maybe medium well, their doneness was. Because of the well-doneness, the meat was very "game-y" tasting. Also, the skin wasn't crispy at all!

Duck Leg: Ugh!! I must say, "yuck"!!! I really hate this specific duck taste: the gamey-ness was strong! Basically it tasted like a Chinese dish where it seems the duck is boiled in soup. As Maria commented, it tasted like "leftover duck meat from those Chinese soups." So, not pleasant. I didn't finish the duck leg. And oh, as a note, I kept looking for the apricot flavor, but failed to find it. Maybe it's just me with my aversion to this specific duck taste, but, yeah, yuck! I have a feeling that maybe other people won't find it "yucky" like I did.

Garlic Kale / Turnip Cake: These 2 were good! I didn't know what the turnip cake was (again, I disregarded the menu altogether since I was counting on the online menu), but I knew it was good! =) I didn't expect it to taste this way, though. This "cake" basically had the texture/consistency of creme caramel, and the top even looked like the top of creme caramel. Also, the cake was slightly sweet. Very good. The garlic kale was great! It wasn't over-done at all. I really like the texture of it. These 2 elements actually saved the dish for me. Without them, the entire dish would've been a complete disaster.

3/10(3 because of the kale and turnip cake. They by themselves would've actually warranted a higher rating -- perhaps 8/10 -- but then, this *is* a DUCK dish.)

Excellent! The chocolate part was actually a chocolate pate. The "hazelnut" part of the terrine was something so familiar -- I've tasted it before but I don't know what it's called! Anyway, it was very good too. The creme fraiche was nice; there was a tuile served with the dessert; the figs (sort of like stewed figs) were good too. Nothing was too sweet (well, maybe the figs, a little, but then, they *are* called "figs caramel"). Actually, usually am never impressed with desserts. In this case, however, the dessert was noticeably "good." So, good. Good end. 9/10_________________AMBIENCE:No complaints. I only saw the little corner in which we were situated, though.Didn't even get to check the "facilities", hehe. =D We were at the corner window,basically.

Rating: 8.5/10________________SERVICE:Again, no complaints. But then again, I'm so low-maintenance. =D Water was refilled constantly (I was never wanting), so that's good enough for me! Oh, the food came in a timely manner as well.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

[js]Very crabby, made with real crab meat and lots of it. Usually with crab melts, my concern is the actual crab content, but this one is all crab. The roast pepper reduction had a spicy kick to it that I liked. Can't remember or decipher the dressing right now on the salad (anybody?) Score: 8.5

[ts]Why do they call it a "patty"?? I assumed it would be patty-shaped and pan-fried, but it was basically a potato salad. Hence, I expected it to be a hot dish, but it was a cold one. I tried just the "potato patty" itself and found it to be bland. But then I wised up and realized, of course, that I should be mixing in the sauces with the potato cubes. They (sauces) were quite savory and had enough oomph in them to flavor the potato. (I don't remember what those "crunchies" could've been, though.)8/10

[js]Had a char that I liked but perhaps not spiced enough for my taste. Still I liked this (I would just ask them to spice it more the next time.) It came with a yogurt-cilantro(?) sauce which added some brightness to the lamb, but again, had it been spiced more, I would be in love. Score: 7.5

[ts]I tried a chop. The "grilled" smell (in this case, the tandoor smell) was VERY nice. It's the same charcoal taste/aroma in the inihaw na baboy that we used to have in the Philippines (never again to be duplicated). Nice.

Malabari Fish CurryOur exotic Coccum infused coconut Halibut curry

[ts]This was CSC's dish. I tried this as well. I was deciding between this and the chicken. This was good, but I'm glad I got the chicken. Not too big a fan of coconut-based curries.

[js]I tried Claire's fish curry and it was good. I am a fan of coconut-based curries! However, like my lamb, I would have liked it spiced more aggressively. Same comment for the chicken methi: more aggressive spicing is in order -- because we can handle it. LOL [Memories of the Maurya vindaloo -- "symphony of fire, my ass!" -- intrude here.]

[ts]This was nice! Served with basmati rice and assorted roasted vegetables. The rice was good... Basmati is all nice and thin; just a different experience altogether from "regular" rice. The vegetables were good as well. The chicken was good, sauce was good. I don't really even know what to say about the dish. It was just very satisfying.We had to ask for spoons... finally could start "real" eating with the spoon and fork. =) I would've liked more rice to go with the curry, because the naan they gave us were too "crisp". Hence, my preference for the rice. On the other hand, I was happy to see that they were actually generous with the naan. Some places just give you 1 piece of naan, and charge you for extras! They gave us a big pile of naan at the onset.

Speaking of starches, their bread was VERY good! They actually warm the bread before serving -- HALLELUJAH! No need for man-hands. We kept asking them for bread refills because it was just gooooood.

chicken: 8.5/10

Dessert:Orange ObsessionGrand Marnier flavoured Orange Kulfi

[js]I'm afraid gelato has ruined me for other ice cream, so I didn't much care for this one. After the recommendation of our server, it was a little bit of a disappointment. To be fair though, I didn't want to eat dessert after the day of eating I had as well, so I might be biased against the kulfi. Score: 5

[ts]I tried this; didn't like it.

Mumbai MithaiGramflour, Cardamom parcels

[ts]I don't know why they call these parcels. It was OK. It consisted of tubes twisted around each other, and formed into a round... Something like that. It was SOOO orange in color, though. In any case, it wasn't my thing. Also, it was a little too sweet for me.

[js]Mumbai Mithai: Christiana called this a "cruller" and the term seems apt. It's more like a cruller than a parcel. Another way to describe this would be that it's like a funnel cake.

[ts]Again with the "patty" description! The "cheese" patty was unusual, because it didn't seem like cheese at all! Actually, even now I'm not sure if it *is* cheese! It was VERY (and I do mean VERY) "bouncy" in texture/consistency. The interior was just like the inside of bread: all holes and such. Anyway, this spongy "patty" absorbed the "sauce" pretty well. The sweetened milk was very nice. It was probably sweetened evaporated milk, with pistachios and almonds. (Evaporated milk is good, even by itself! hehe.) Even though the "patty" itself was tasteless and had a "bouncy" consistency, I didn't mind it that much. Besides, it was a great vehicle for the sauce.

So all in all, this dessert had a positive impression. Also, at least it was different, not the usual tartes, cakes, etc etc. 8/10

[js]Is it just me then or does the Copper Chimney menu need a better writer? "Patty," "parcel" -- maybe he or she ran out of words.

[ts]All in all, this was a very satisfying experience. (We checked out their regular non-Dine-Out menu, and it had mostly "white" food! Kinda weird.)

We were all pretty full -- so good thing there was no Chocoholic Buffet afterwards! =D

(Haha, yes, we were actually planning to go to a Chocoholic Buffet after the dinner!)

[js]It is a little strange that Copper Chimney doesn't offer these East Indian menu items on their regular menu. There, it's all striploins and standard Western restaurant fare. Which means then we don't really return to the place.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

BREAD[js]Worth a mention: the green olive tapenade they served with the bread was very, very good.

[ts]The dinner rolls were OK. They weren't heated. (Why is nobody warming up bread anymore?!!) One had to use MAN-HANDS force to break the rolls apart. As JS mentioned, the tapenade was good. We also asked for balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the bread.

Of course, in keeping w eatingclub tradition, I had the MOST EXPENSIVE DINNER once again. I opted to order from their a la carte menu (instead of the Dine-Out prix fixe). Reasons to follow.

[js]The caesar vinaigrette was very lemon-y, which I liked, because of the tartness. Didn't care much for the crisp pancetta because it wasn't that crispy at all. It was more paper-like, onion-skin paperlike. The cheese, the cheese, the cheese I love. If there's anything I can complain about, it was I felt that my salad was overdressed. I liked it a little dryer and not that drenched. Score: 8.5

[ts]I tasted this. I don't think I got to taste all the components of the dish, but I must agree that the dressing was very nice. I really liked the tartness.

[ts](What I actually ordered.) As you can see, just this appetizer alone was $14.50!!!Anyway, this was pretty good. Although, when the dish was placed in front of me, it sort of smelled "fishy." But eating it was fine. I'm a fan of chorizo, so I was happy with that. The "young lettuces" were actually also very nice. The squid itself was "ok." (Although, good that it was cooked just right; not tough at all.) 7/10

[js]This was an excellent dish: trout was delicate and perfectly cooked, with a little bit of crust on the bottom. The potato and spinach dressing was also good: again, with the combination of soft and crunchy (the potatos were crushed and crusty). The virgin sauce, with tomatoes and parsley, added the bright notes to the dish. Score: 9

[ts]The reason I chose items a la carte: a former Bishop's co-worker who used to work at CinCin raved about this chicken. (She was a kitchen person, fyi.) So since it came highly recommended from a "chef" or cook, I thought I should give it a try, seeing as we don't know if we would be back at CinCin... or at least, back anytime soon. When I decided to get the chicken, I was actually WORRIED that the dish may be too much, because I assumed that it was a WHOLE chicken. Why, you ask. Look at the price! Besides, what's so special about a piece of breast being baked under clay bricks that would warrant $30 (if not the size)!?

The chicken was actually quite good. (Although, it wasn't a whole chicken as I thought.) But basically it tasted like fried chicken (the skin was very crisp and tasty). Mashed potato tasted like mashed potatoes. I've never had rapini (broccoli rabe) before, so this was a nice way to try it. My God, it's a little bitter (understatement). But I believe my threshold for bitterness has increased... must be getting old. ;)

All in all, the chicken dish was good, but not spectacular. And charging $32.50 is highway robbery!

6.5/10 (considering VALUE for the price)

Dessert:PEAR TART. VANILLA ICE CREAM, CARAMEL SAUCE

[js]I'm a sucker for tart or any kind of pastry with fruit and ice cream, so I liked this as well. I probably would have liked the pears to be softer/more cooked and the ice cream creamier. Score: 7.5